Electrician takes boss to employment tribunal after he was attacked by work colleague

Electrician Robert Taylor was left “covered in blood, crying and terrified” after he was attacked by his work colleague.

The twenty-eight-year-old suffered injuries including five stitches to his head and his two front teeth knocked out. From this incident, he has also been suffering from a post traumatic stress disorder too.

And according to the Press and Journal, Mr Taylor has now taken his former employer at G&A Barnie Group to an employment tribunal. This is because the electrician claims that due to events both after and before the incident, he felt that he was effectively forced out of his job.

Mr Taylor stated at the hearing that he had raised concerns with his employer last year. He raised issues including smoking in vans, workers taking days off after a night of drinking and the treatment of apprentices.

However, Mr Taylor claimed that in response to the issues he raised, he was threatened and abused verbally by his supervisors.

The Press and Journal reported that the managing director of the firm did go on to speak to Mr Taylor about these issues though. However, the electrician was apparently told that he needed to apologise and was warned that his job could be at risk.

Then, last year, on the 25th of September, Mr Taylor was severely injured after he was assaulted by a fellow work colleague and his room mate Darren Pollock. (Mr Pollock is now awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to assault). Mr Taylor described the attack: “I was woken as I was being repeatedly punched

Mr Taylor described the attack: “I was woken as I was being repeatedly punched on the face/head.”

“I could feel blood running down the back of my head and coming out of my mouth and nose.”

“I ran out of the bedroom fearing for my life.”

“I was out in the street naked and hid behind a car across the road.”

“I was covered in blood and crying and terrified.”

Six days after the attack though, Mr Taylor was left “shocked” when he received a phone call from his employer Alex Barnie asking whether or not he’d be back to work on Monday.

Mr Taylor stated that “after five weeks of no communication”, he then received an “aggressive” letter from the company demanding a letter from his GP. From this, Mr Taylor claimed that he felt that he had “no option” other than to resign.

Days later, Mr Taylor heard that his attacker, Mr Pollock had also been re-hired by the company.

However, company boss Alex Barnie has denied claims that he forced electrician Robert Taylor out of work. He stated at the employment tribunal in Inverness that instead, he simply felt that he did not think the attack was work related. And the “aggressive” letter Mr Taylor referenced was simply to allow for and establish an appropriate time frame for Mr Taylor to return to work.

Alongside this, he also stressed that he called the victim five days after he was attacked to see “how he was doing”. And, thinking long term as an employer, wanted to establish whether he was in “a fit condition to come back to work”.

Mr Barnie described: “If this had been an incident that had happened during the course of working day, I would have involved health and safety on site and they would have taken statements and gone through the full process.”

“But this was an incident that happened out with working time, so I did not consider it to be work related.”

Now, after the evidence has been delivered, employment judge Iain Atack will deliberate and reach a final verdict.